Star Trek Online

Star Trek Online
File:Sto logo.png
Developer(s)	Cryptic Studios
Publisher(s)	TBA
Designer(s)	TBA
Engine	Cryptic Engine
Platform(s)	PC and Console
Release	TBA
Genre(s)	MMORPG
Mode(s)	Persistent world

Star Trek Online is the working title of an MMORPG, currently being developed by Cryptic Studios. It began development at Perpetual Entertainment and was announced on September 7, 2004.

On January 14, 2008, Perpetual Entertainment announced that it is no longer developing Star Trek Online. The license for the game and all of its assets except for the code have been transferred to Cryptic Studios. .

On July 28, 2008, Cryptic Studios announced production of Star Trek Online with the launch of the Star Trek Online Website.

Perpetual version

Gameplay

Players' characters were to begin as Starfleet cadets and have the opportunity to advance in rank up to Captain and even Admiral. The game would have mainly been played from a 3rd person perspective, though there were hints that it might have been possible to zoom into a first person view under certain circumstances. Players would have been able to travel, explore space and the surface of planets, and engage in Player versus player (PvP) combat and Player versus environment (PvE) combat.

Setting

File:Sprint2Final sShots 0023 obRm02m.jpg

Galaxy-class Observation Lounge.

The game was to be set in the early years of the 25th Century (just beyond the eras of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager), approximately twenty years after Star Trek Nemesis (the latest movie); the developers were using this interregnum to allow for some evolution in the Star Trek universe for the sake of better playability. Missions would have included storylines that involve established characters from the Star Trek franchise. Players would have begun at Starfleet Academy, where they would have learned basic game skills, before progressing to Starship assignments. Players would then have been able to participate in activities on ships, on planets, or on stations and starbases.

Starship operations

Starship assignments and missions would have been one of the key components of this game. Players would have congregated and socialized aboard large starship "hubs" such as the Galaxy-class, and use them as jumping-off points to go on missions aboard their smaller personal starships, which would have been operated as advanced mounts from a 3rd person perspective, where each player would have had different controls relating to ship functions relevant to their department.

There would have been over a hundred ships recreated in the game, at least 50 of these would have been obtainable by players. It had been indicated that player ship interiors would not have been available at the initial release, with ship systems being controlled from an exterior view during combat, though interior gameplay was an important aspect of STO and would have been represented in a number of ways.

Most missions would not have been "instanced," according to statements by Star Trek Online executive producer Daron Stinnett.

Character development

After a player had chosen a career, the selection would have become permanent for the character's entire existence. Characters would have physically aged as they progressed through the game and gain more experience, thus the experience of higher-ranking officers would have been accurately portrayed in game. The final list of playable races had not yet been announced by the time the game was effectively cancelled; candidates included Human, Vulcan, Klingon, Bajoran, Bolian, Cardassian, Ferengi, Tellarite and Andorian.

File:STO Astrometrics.jpg

Astrometrics concept art.

Combat

Star Trek Online would have include both personal and ship-to-ship combat. However, the developers had released very little information as to how combat will work.

Personal combat

It was believed that the game will operate using both first-person and third-person cameras; personal combat was expected to be primarily third-person, with the use of first-person views from time to time. It would have take place on the ground and aboard ships.

Ship-to-ship combat

Perpetual Entertainment had stated that they wanted every player to be able to command their own ship, even if only a runabout. Large-scale ship-to-ship combat, however, would have required teamwork. Full-size starships would have required a bridge crew to operate and probably at least one person in Engineering.

Space combat in Star Trek Online would have been three-dimensional and not based on a 2D plane as previously supposed. Player-Controlled starships would have been piloted by their captains via a system of coordinated instructions and not by a player in a separate flight control position, though an NPC pilot would have been present at the helm.

Travel

Players would have travelled through the gameworld by foot, by transporter beam, at impulse power, at warp, and transwarp conduits constructed by the Federation in the twenty years since Star Trek Nemesis.

Economy

As in Star Trek, money would not have been emphasized, but it would have been present in the form of Federation Credits. All of the player's basic needs (i.e. "food, lodging, uniforms, simple entertainment, and standard equipment") would have been provided for free, but players could have chosen to spend credits on things the Federation does not normally provide—for instance, special items of value, special entertainment, or special treatment. Players would also have amassed "prestige", an intangible currency that reflects their favor with Starfleet. Obtaining command of a starship would not have cost any credits but would have required a great deal of prestige, with different ships costing different amounts. Prestige would have been earned by impressing Starfleet and making special achievements.

Story

The game would have begun during a time of relative peace for the Federation, a time known as the "En'ock tu Ch'enock," which roughly translates to "The Calm before the Inferno.", approximately twenty years after the Dominion War. All of the Federation's traditional enemies (such as the Borg, the Romulans, the Cardassians and the Klingon Empire) have either tentatively made peace or ceased to be a threat. The developers had stated that a new enemy from deep within the Beta quadrant would have been the main antagonists.

Recent news

In late 2007, it was announced that Perpetual Entertainment was under new management: a non-gaming company seeking to enter gaming. It was announced that Star Trek Online would have a more "casual" approach, and was considering alternative payment strategies, such as allowing players to spend money on in-game items, instead of paying subscription fees. According to an anonymous source, "a number" of employees may have left due to dissatisfaction over the game's new direction.

On December 4, 2007, Perpetual released Star Trek Online's first screenshot since the "stylized" look announcement the year previous. It shows a ship, the Excalibur, orbiting the planet Beta Draconus IV, and a viewscreen with a Bimphalian, Overseer D'Gem, talking to the ship's captain, Commander Locarno, with a quest/chat tree. There are planets, stars and an asteroid belt in the background.

On December 13, 2007, website WarCry released an interview with Daron Stinnett, Executive Producer of Star Trek Online, coupled with the first ever in-game avatar screenshot. The image shows a human federation character in battle with a Gorn soldier on an alien world. According to Stinnett, Perpetual decided to 'keep the stylized avatars in a stylized world'. Their aim is to 'take the look of Star Trek in a new direction whilst staying true to its core values'. Their artwork also got the approval of CBS studios who commented it was 'a look they intended to use, assuming they had the budget when producing the TV series and films'. Mr. Stinnett, responding to previous allegations about the team and project shakeup, confirmed that while they are indeed exploring alternate payment methods, no decision has been made in that regard, and nobody has left the team as indicated.

On January 15, 2008, Warcry Network reported that P2 entertainment had ceased work on the title. The license has reportedly been transferred to another Bay Area development studio which will likely add significant delays to the expected release date. On January 18, all STO developers were laid off by P2 Entertainment.

On March 15, 2008, the official Star Trek Online website posted a notice of 'coming soon', implying that the domain had been transferred to a new company and the game was once again under development. On 13 March, Star Trek news site TrekMovie.com reported having confirmed with "sources" that the new developer is Cryptic Studios, as had been the rumor for several weeks. Cryptic Studios' website was updated in June 2008 with a clock counting down to July 28, 2008, with a piece of Perpetual's ST:O concept art as the background, although the significance of the date remains unknown.

On July 28, 2008, as the countdown reached zero, Cryptic Studios has confirmed development of Star Trek Online, using their Cryptic Engine.

Fansite reaction

On February 22, 2008 it was announced that the long running fan based forum StarTrek-Online.net, an independent site formerly in close contact with Perpetual, and dedicated to monitoring the development of the game, would close its forum doors on February 29, 2008 citing lack of continued interest on the part of the staff.

Trivia

• Several veteran production staff were known to have been involved in STO, including Mike Okuda, Andrew Probert and John Eaves, all of whom contributed primarily in the art departments relating to their specific expertise in the franchise.
• Details of the game were leaked onto the internet days before the official announcement was made by Paramount. It was published by a website called Sci-Fi Universe. The staff of the website discovered leaks at the official Star Trek website and published them on the first day the website was launched.
• An exclusive sneak preview of Perpetual Entertainment's Star Trek Online was included on the Star Trek: The Original Series HD DVD released on November 20, 2007. This DVD set includes Star Trek Online developer interviews, comments from the art team, brand new star ship designs and other info.
• On December 12, 2007, Perpetual's former public relations firm Kohnke Communications launched a lawsuit against the company, including allegations of fraud. Allegedly, "Perpetual canceled Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising mostly because of over $280,000 in incentives that would be owed to Kohnke upon the launch of the game and the subsequent financial impact on the development of Star Trek Online".

References

Notations

• Podcast/Audio Interview with Ryan Denning , Lead Concept Artist for STO on April 1st 2007 at Hailing Frequency 'The Internets First Podcast Dedicated to Star Trek Gaming'
• Podcast/Audio Interview with Daron Stinnett, Executive Producer for STO on September 17th 2006 at Hailing Frequency 'The Internets First Podcast Dedicated to Star Trek Gaming'
• Podcast/Audio Interview with Daron Stinnett, Executive Producer for STO on March 12th 2006 at Hailing Frequency 'The Internets First Podcast Dedicated to Star Trek Gaming'

See also

• Star Trek games

External links

Official

• StarTrekOnline.com The official Star Trek Online MMORPG site by its developers at Cryptic Studios.

Community

• Hailing Frequency - The Internet's First Podcast Dedicated to Star Trek Gaming.
• STOSource.com - STO Fansite, with upcoming mini game.
• STOZone The Original STO-Zone - For all Your Star Trek Online needs.
• Information on game news items

Articles

• Star Trek Online at Memory Alpha